Paul Valentine Child Sexual Abuser in Wick

A senior woman testified before a jury, explaining how she took on the role of a schoolgirl on Facebook after watching videos of vigilante paedophile hunters online and deciding to participate herself.

Frances King, who arrived at Southend Crown Court using a walking frame, was giving evidence in the case against Paul Valentine from Wick, who is accused of attempting to meet a 13-year-old girl at Rochford railway station.

She read aloud to the jurors hundreds of pages of Facebook exchanges with Valentine, during which she impersonated a teenage girl named Jessie.

In one message, Valentine told her, “You are my drug, Jess, and I can’t get enough of you.” He also claimed he was giving her his secret secondary phone number, stating, “You are the only one who has this number.” To avoid suspicion from her parents, Valentine created a fake Facebook profile, pretending to be a schoolboy to maintain the ruse.

Jurors viewed messages from Tuesday (June 23) showing Valentine expressing “feelings” for the girl and suggesting a picnic outing.

He wrote, “Your head on my shoulder, watching the sun set, with a blanket of course.” Mrs.

King remarked, “That is not something a full-grown man should say to a 13-year-old.” He also messaged her, saying, “I feel a soul connection with you,” and added, “I know it’s crazy… You’re my soul mate and that is the honest truth of it.” Mrs.

King explained that other paedophile hunters helped her create the fake profile, which included AI-generated images.

After exchanging over 1,500 messages with Valentine and planning to meet him, she handed all her evidence to the vigilante group Act Now.

They confronted Valentine in Rochford in April 2023 and subsequently contacted Essex Police.

She emphasized that she made sure to include references to being a child in her chats, frequently mentioning school, her father’s disapproval of webcams, and her father’s potential reaction if he discovered their correspondence.

She stated, “I have made a fake profile only for you on Facebook, with no picture at first, but I can get one of someone only slightly older than you, so your parents won’t object.” Valentine set up the fake profile under the name Joseph Valentino, using a photo of a random 14-year-old boy he had copied from the internet.

In message exchanges, Valentine claimed, “I want you to know I have not done this before.

I hope you believe me.” He expressed feelings beyond friendship, saying, “I’m getting feelings for you that go beyond friendship, although I would be happy with that.” He also wrote, “You are a very special person, and I really hope and even pray we can continue getting to know each other for an eternity.”